Happy Tail: A rescued Eskie dog makes a 10-year-old’s wish come true

Nathan Yager was turning 10, and he eagerly reminded his parents that they’d said the family could get a dog when he reached that age. The family’s younger son, Luke, was enthusiastic, too. The whole family logged onto Petfinder to search.

“We discovered a wonderful rescue agency called A Tail to Tell,” Mary Yager says. “The group specializes in freeing dogs from the horrors of life in a puppy mill.” The rescue is located in Mt. Gretna, PA. The Yagers filled out an application and went to meet Kaleb, an American Eskimo Dog.

It was a match.

“Nothing compares to the greeting we get each morning, or when we come home from running errands,” Mary says of the “perfect” dog. “He has never had an accident, chewed or been aggressive.” But there was one thing: The family felt he needed a doggy friend.

“Once again we turned to Petfinder.com,” Mary says. They found Lulu, “who was surrendered by an owner who had kept her in a cage for most of her life.” She was listed by All Things Pawssible Animal Rescue in Downingtown, PA.

“Lulu was very timid and shook from the tip of her ears to the bottom of
her fluffy white tail,” Mary says. The family had some doubts. But “as
scared as she was, she curled up in my lap, leaned into me and gave me a
kiss the first time I met her.”

Mary admits the first week was tough. “We quickly learned that Lulu
needed consistent training. We knew that if we invested time, attention
and consistency, we would have a wonderful dog.”

And it’s true. Today Lulu is confident and a beloved member of the
family, showing that determination can make an adoption for keeps.